A method for storing audio-centered information with a multi-level Table-of-Contents (TOC) mechanism and doubling of AREA-TOCs, a device for use with such mechanism and a unitary storage medium having such mechanism.
Storing digital audio on unitary media such as disc or tape is widespread. In case of actual sub-division of the audio into multiple sub-items, providing a Table-of-Contents (TOC) allows to access the information in an easy manner. Such TOC will specify at least what has been stored and where it has been stored. The audio may be defined according to various standardized audio formats, such as two-channel stereo, multiple (5-6) channel audio such as in surround sound applications, and possibly others. An audio provider may wish to combine various track areas having the same and/or different such formats on a single medium such as an optical disk.
In consequence, amongst other things, it is an object of the present invention to allow an audio management system to allow a user to access various audio track areas in a fast and easy manner. A user is now able to distinguish between various track areas and to navigate among the various items of a single track area in a robust manner, and if possible, without encumbrance through data errors in the TOC itself.
The invention also relates to a unitary storage medium produced by the method, to a storing device arranged for practising such method, and to a reader or player device arranged for interfacing to such storage medium. A particular audio medium instance could be restricted to storing only stereo, so that the multi-channel version would effectively be a dummy. For reasons of standardizing, the multilevel TOC mechanism will then also be adopted. Further advantageous aspects of the invention are recited in dependent Claims.